Study reveals both troubling and encouraging picture of
learning disabilities in Canada

Ottawa, Ontario, March 26, 2007 – Today, the
Learning Disabilities Association of Canada (LDAC) releases its long-awaited
study on the societal costs of learning disabilities in Canada on www.pacfold.ca.
The groundbreaking applied research study, Putting a Canadian Face
on Learning Disabilities, took 3 years to develop. The Study set
out to find what it means to be a child, youth or adult with learning disabilities
(LD) in Canada. In doing so, it discovered the remarkable resiliency of
Canadians, both young and old, who live with the condition every day.

“The Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities study
is unique,” said Dr. Alexander M. Wilson, the Study’s co-principal
investigator, and Director of the Meighen Centre at Mount Allison University. “It
represents the first time that any disability organization in Canada has
requested access to Statistics Canada data surveys. Our team examined ten
different data sets—the most comprehensive look ever at the impact
of living with a learning disability in Canada.”

Canadian Governments can do more to Enable Canadians with Learning Disabilities

Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities found
that Canadian governments can do more to enable people with learning disabilities
(LD). People with LD are often prevented from realizing success at school,
at work, and in everyday activities. Achievements are often accomplished
through factors outside government support, such as:

Finding a teacher who is trained to work with a student with LD.

Having family support that includes financial resources.

Finding the ‘right’ employer
that understands learning disabilities and provides the necessary accommodations.

“A learning disability is a series of neurological
conditions that severely affects a person’s capacity to perceive,
interpret and manage information. Like any other medical condition, there
needs to be early identification, interventions and supports to minimize
the impact on individuals and the costs to Canadian society. With this
support in place, Canadians with learning disabilities will have equitable
opportunities to develop their chosen potential”, said Fraser Green,
Chair of the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada.

The Study: Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities

The Study points out the societal costs of ignoring learning disabilities.
Chief among its findings are:

Canadians with learning disabilities (in some ages) are twice as likely
to report that they did not successfully complete high school (i.e. 28.3%
of adults with learning disabilities aged 20 to 29 versus only 14.3%
of the general population of the same age). People with learning disabilities
are also more likely to drop out before graduation.

Nearly 1/3 of parents who have children with a learning disability
reported that they could not afford the learning aids their children
need to succeed academically (i.e. tutoring, assistive technology, etc.).

Canadians with learning disabilities overwhelmingly
achieve lower than Level 3 in prose literacy. (The desired threshold
for coping with the increasing skill demands of a knowledge society.)

Canadians with learning disabilities are less likely to report being
employed (51% of adults aged 30 to 44, as compared to 89.1% of the general
population of the same age, prior to the 2001 Census period).

Canadians with learning disabilities are 2 to 3 times
more likely to report high levels of distress, depression, anxiety disorders,
suicidal thoughts, and visits to a mental health professional and poorer
overall mental and physical health compared to the general population.

Based on the findings of Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities,
the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada prepared a series of research-based
recommendations to improve the early detection of learning disabilities.
As well, it recommends the support systems needed to help Canadians with
LD.

“The results of this study are impossible to ignore,” said
Fraser Green, Chair of the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada. “The
wait-to-fail approach clearly isn’t working. The provincial/territorial
governments need to put early screening and interventions for all Canadian
school children into place. There also needs to be more equitable access
to learning aids and appropriate accommodations and support for people
with learning disabilities.”

The Study’s Focus Groups

The Study also involved twelve focus
groups across Canada that were comprised
of adults with LD, parents of children with LD and children with LD between
the ages of 10-14.

The focus groups confirmed the challenges at school and work for people
with a learning disability. The Study also offers an encouraging account
of the resourcefulness of people with LD, and how sincerely they want to
succeed.

“I was overwhelmed when I heard the success stories
of people with learning disabilities,” said Adele Furrie, co-principal
investigator of the Study. “With the right interventions at the right
time, as well as family support (both emotionally and financially) a Canadian
with a learning disability has a stronger likelihood of success. That’s
why it’s essential that early identification, interventions and support
be put in place for ALL Canadians.”

Since 1963, the Learning Disabilities Association of Canada has provided
support to people with learning disabilities, as well as their families,
their teachers and other professionals who help them. LDAC is a volunteer-led
association representing a network of 10 provincial and 2 territorial Learning
Disabilities Associations. From these extends a network of chapters in
some 55 communities across the country with more than 7,000 members across
Canada. Our role is to help provide a level playing field for opportunities
and services for children, youth and adults with learning disabilities.
At the national, provincial/territorial and local levels, Learning Disabilities
Associations provide cutting edge information on learning disabilities,
along with practical solutions and a comprehensive network of programs
and resources. These services make LDAC the Canadian leader in the area
of learning disabilities.

The Study’s Funding

Putting a Canadian Face on Learning Disabilities was
funded in part by the Government of Canada's Social Development Partnerships
Program - Disability Component.